Advice & Services

How can we help you care for your pet?

At Albert Cottage, we care for pets of all species, shapes and sizes. Our friendly vets, nurses and reception staff are friendly and always happy to give advice or discuss your enquiries. Below we have gathered some good advice on how to care for your pet as well as how we can help you caring for your pet.

Dental Care

Dental disease is a very common problem in older pets and leads to pain, infection and bad breath. Pets with dental disease often need an operation to scale and remove any damaged teeth. The best way to prevent this problem is to brush their teeth daily, just as we do. Dental problems in rabbits can be very serious and we recommend having their teeth examined annually to spot any problems early.

Medications

When your pet becomes unwell, medications may be an important part of their treatment. Where available, we will always prescribe a medication that has a licence (authorisation) for use in animals and has been tested to be safe and effective. You can access information regarding these medications on The Noah Compendium.

When a licenced medication is not available, we may prescribe a human drug for your animal. Below is a list of commonly used human medications together with further information about each:

Microchipping

Since the 6th of April 2016, it has been a legal requirement that all dogs in the UK are microchipped and registered to an approved database by the time they are eight weeks old.

If you visit our Lost & Found page, you will see how many pets go missing. By implanting a small microchip under their skin, your pet will always be identified and returned to you as soon as it is found. It is a cheap and simple injection and we recommend it for all animals.

Neutering

Neutering our pets is important to prevent unwanted pregnancy and some reproductive diseases. It is also used to help with a number of behavioural problems. We neuter pets from six months of age and recommend a pre-neutering check with the vet to ensure that your pet is in good health and to discuss the procedure. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Operations

If your pet is booked in for an operation at Albert Cottage, you will need to bring them into the surgery between 8:30am and 9:00am on the morning of their operation. For dogs and cats, please do not feed them after 7:00pm the night before and remove the water bowl when you get up in the morning. Rabbits and other small mammals do not need to be starved. We will discuss everything with you and answer any of your questions when you arrive. To minimise stress, dogs and cats are kennelled separately and we will aim to get them home to you as soon as possible. See section above for a detailed list about all medications.

Puppy Socialisation

Socialising your puppy with other dogs and people is vital in making them happy, well adjusted, enjoyable pets. Puppy classes can be a useful way of doing this and will also help with basic training. Teaching your puppy to come to command and getting them used to being examined is very important. If you want to get your dog used to visiting us, feel free to pop in - there is always a treat behind the reception desk!

Vaccinations

There are a number of highly infectious diseases in the UK that can be potentially fatal to our pets. There is no treatment for many of these diseases so providing protection with vaccinations is very important. By having an annual booster, your pet will also receive a full veterinary health check as well as helping to reduce to the level of disease within the population

We recommend that all dogs, cats and rabbits are vaccinated against harmful infectious diseases. Puppies can be vaccinated from eight weeks of age, kittens from nine weeks and rabbits from five weeks. Click here or contact us for further information about Vaccinations.

Dogs

We recommend that all puppies are vaccinated from eight weeks of age and again at 10-11 weeks. This gives them good protection while they are vulnerable to disease. Following this, an annual booster is required to maintain life-long protection. We routinely vaccinate dogs against a number of diseases:

Rabies: A fatal virus transmissible to human. This vaccination is compulsory if your pet is travelling outside of the UK. Please contact us for details if you plan to travel abroad.

Kennel Cough: A severe hacking cough caused by a number of viruses and bacteria. It is highly infectious and we see periodic breakouts in the area. The vaccination is administered into the nose to work where it is needed. Many boarding kennels require this vaccination but any sociable dog that comes into contact with other dogs is at risk.

Cats

We recommend that all kittens are vaccinated from nine weeks of age and a second injection three weeks later. An annual booster is then needed to ensure continued protection. We can vaccinate against a number of feline diseases:

Feline Panleucopenia (Infectious Enteritis): Similar to Canine Parvovirus, this disease causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea, which can be fatal especially in young cats/kittens. This is an effective vaccine that lasts for three years.

Feline Leukaemia virus: A viral disease that can cause fatal cancers and reduces defences against other disease. It is almost always fatal. It is spread by direct contact with other cats and so we recommend this vaccination for all outdoor cats.

Rabies: A fatal virus transmissible to human. This vaccination is compulsory if your pet is travelling outside of the UK. Please contact us for details if you plan to travel abroad.

Cat Flu: Debilitating disease causing sneezing, snotty nose, gunky eyes and mouth ulcers. It is rarely fatal but can be serious especial in young or old cats. It is caused by two viruses; Feline Herpes virus and Feline Calici virus. Secondary bacterial infections are also common. Once infected, most cats will carry these viruses with them for life and when stressed the symptoms may restart. We can vaccinate against these viruses but the protection given is short-lived and needs to be boosted annually. Occasionally, vaccinated cats can become infected but the symptoms are much milder.

Rabbits

We strongly recommend vaccinating your rabbit against Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). They are both fatal diseases that are relatively common in the UK. A new vaccination is now available that combines these disease in one injection that lasts for 12 months. You can vaccine your rabbit from five weeks of age. During the annual booster, we can give your rabbit a general health exam including checking for dental problems.

In the last few years, a new strain of VHD has been detected in the UK. It is usually fatal and we now recommend vaccinating all rabbits against this new strain. This vaccination can be given annually at least 2 weeks after the myxomatosis combined vaccination.

If you have any questions regarding our vaccination protocol, please contact us.

Worming and Flea Control

At Albert Cottage Veterinary Clinic we recommend that animals are treated for fleas and worms regularly.

Puppies and kittens should be treated monthly for fleas. This regime should continue in to their adult life. The key to flea control is not only treating the animal but also controlling development of fleas in your environment as 95% of an infestation lives within the home. If you need help the flea control, you might be interested our flea and tick offer.

Worming is also important to the health of your pet. Puppies and kittens should be wormed frequently from two weeks of age until six months of age and then every three months throughout adulthood. Depending on which worming medication you use the frequency of treatment will vary.

We can advise you on the best worming option for your pet. Simply call or come to the practice and speak to our qualified and experienced nursing team for more information on the wide range of flea and worming treatments we offer.